Foolishness vs Bravery

[LeFlump]

Watching the beginning of 'Dances with Wolves' with my Mrs, it got me thinking.

 

In the film, the lead bloke has hurt his leg and doesn't want it chopping off. He climbs on a horse and in attempts suicide by riding a horse past the enemy line. He fails and tries it again, sparking a battle that his side win, and still survives. The man is awarded for bravery, keeps his leg and goes off to make Indian friends somewhere.

 

So we have two failed suicide attempts, which I wouldn't consider brave. He only took the risk to destroy himself, which I wouldn't consider brave either.

 

So ... at what point does foolishness become bravery?

[L00b]

So ... at what point does foolishness become bravery?

When it is selfless and has purpose

[HeadingNorth]

There is no bravery if you're not afraid; someone who wants to die, attempting something suicidally dangerous, is not being brave any more than I am when I kill spiders, because I'm not frightened of spiders.

 

Historically and politically, what matters is outcomes, not personal states of mind. If your foolish and suicidal action sparks a vitally important victory against the odds, you're going to get a medal for it; if all it does is kill you, you won't be so much as a comma on the page of history.

[Harleyman]

There are countless examples of officers in the two world wars who intentionally exposed themselves to enemy fire in order to rally their troops in situations where the particular unit was pinned down by enemy fire

 

There isn't a shadow of doubt that they were scared to death all the same but it's what leadership is all about.